AHPRA takes action against more than 50 practitioners in medicinal cannabis crackdown


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The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency CEO, Justin Untersteiner, says the regulator held serious concerns for patient safety. Image source: ABC News.



The health-practitioner watchdog has put medicinal cannabis prescribers on notice, saying poor prescribing practices and surging consumer demand are leading to "significant" patient harm.

AHPRA today released new guidelines urging prescribers to put patient wellbeing above profits, as medicinal cannabis prescriptions rise rapidly due to telehealth companies providing a one-stop shop for quick access to medicinal cannabis.



The regulator said some businesses were using "aggressive and sometimes misleading advertising that targets vulnerable people" and online questionnaires that coached patients to say "the right thing" to justify prescribing.

The ABC can reveal AHPRA has now taken action against 57 medical practitioners, pharmacists and nurses over medicinal cannabis prescribing practices.


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More Australians are accessing medicinal cannabis for conditions such as insomnia, chronic pain and anxiety. Image source: ABC News/Emily Jane Smith.



"We're currently investigating a further 60 right now as we speak. And for those that choose not to meet our requirements, we will be knocking on their door in the near future," AHPRA chief executive Justin Untersteiner said.

The crackdown comes after a series of ABC investigations revealed patients with a history of psychosis had been hospitalised after being prescribed medicinal cannabis and one patient had died following inappropriate prescribing.

The investigations also revealed concerns from doctors who said they were being treated like drug dealers and pressured to write medicinal cannabis scripts by the telehealth companies.

While AHPRA said the majority of practitioners do the right thing, the agency uncovered half a dozen who issued more than 10,000 scripts in a six-month period, including one who issued over 17,000, or one every four minutes in a working day.



Mr Untersteiner said the regulator held serious concerns for patient safety due to excessive and inappropriate prescribing.

"We've seen patients present to emergency departments with medicinal-cannabis-induced psychosis, and this can particularly happen where there are patients that have pre-existing mental health conditions or substance abuse or other issues like that.

"Another area that worries us is … prescribing excessive quantities or even prescribing multiple different prescriptions to a single patient so they can try which one suits them.

"Again, that's completely inappropriate," he said.


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Mr Untersteiner said AHPRA was urging prescribers to put patient wellbeing above profits. Image source: ABC News.



The new AHPRA guidelines explicitly state that except for childhood epilepsy, muscle spasms and pain associated with multiple sclerosis, cancer and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, "there is little evidence to support the use of medicinal cannabis".

According to Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) data, the main conditions medicinal cannabis is being prescribed for include insomnia, chronic pain and anxiety.

The guidelines state medicinal cannabis should not be prescribed as a first-line treatment and should only be used when there is an evidence-supported clinical indication and when other treatments have not worked.



They also insist patients be thoroughly assessed, proper medical records be taken, and an exit strategy is developed to help patients stop taking the medication.

Most medicinal cannabis products prescribed in Australia are unapproved, meaning they have not been assessed by the TGA for safety, quality, performance or effectiveness, something patients must now be informed of during consultations.

The majority of cannabis products prescribed in Australia also contain THC, which causes psychoactive effects and makes them Schedule 8 medicines due to the risks of misuse, abuse and potentially addictive properties.

"We don't prescribe opioids to every patient who asks for them and medicinal cannabis is no different. Patient demand is no indicator of clinical need," Medical Board of Australia Chair, Dr Susan O'Dwyer said.



AHPRA and the Medical and Nursing and Midwifery Boards said they were working with other regulators like the TGA and may investigate practitioners with high rates of prescribing even without receiving complaints.

Patients and doctors are encouraged to report unsafe practices to help protect others by calling the AHPRA Notifications Hotline on 1300 361 041.

Concerning conduct observed by AHPRA:​

  • Multiple practitioners who issued more than 10,000 prescriptions for medicinal cannabis products in six months.
  • Consultations lasting between a few seconds and a few minutes.
  • Prescribing without a legitimate reason, including because the patient requested it.
  • Failing to fully assess a patient's mental health and/or history of substance use disorders, leading to serious adverse outcomes such as psychotic episodes.
  • Not checking patient identity, including prescribing for people under 18.
  • Prescribing excessive quantities of medicinal cannabis in each prescription.
  • Providing multiple prescriptions for a single patient.
  • Not checking real-time prescription monitoring systems and therefore not being aware of other medicines prescribed.
  • Not co-ordinating care with a patient's other treating practitioners.
  • Self-prescribing or prescribing for family members.
  • Having a conflict of interest by only prescribing the product supplied by the company the practitioner is associated with.

Written by: Elise Worthington and Celina Edmonds, ABC News.
 
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I know of a case where it is being used with dementia patient and it is working well. You don't ban for a few. I wouldn't agree to take it, but there are circumstances where it may be beneficial.
 
I was prescribed cannabis oil ( no THC) for chronic pain and I did find it helped to reduce the pain and therefore the amount of codiene I was consuming on a regular basis. However at $145 for 30mls which if taken as prescribed only lasts for 3 weeks, I can rarely afford to purchase it. Having my aged pension payment as my only form of income I can find a lot more things to spend that $145 on. It would be nice if the govt put it on the PBS, but can’t see that happening too soon.
 
AHPRA need to get get there priorities right
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room
the jabs that have killed millions and more dying everyday from the continuous aftermath from the vaccines and the trillions of dollars that was made from the kill shots , we have experts who are proving what the vaccine did to the human race and No governments anywhere will allow any sort of trials to be conducted , cannabis is far healthier way than any drugs that big pharma can ever offer my opinion only .
 
AHPRA need to get get there priorities right
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room
the jabs that have killed millions and more dying everyday from the continuous aftermath from the vaccines and the trillions of dollars that was made from the kill shots , we have experts who are proving what the vaccine did to the human race and No governments anywhere will allow any sort of trials to be conducted , cannabis is far healthier way than any drugs that big pharma can ever offer my opinion only .
Just 14 deaths directly attributed to COVID-19 vaccines from over 65 million administered in Australia. Where's the "millions" clown?

Go bark at a tree with your fellow phonies, "The Forest Of The Fallen".
 
Poor prescribing practices by doctor who are prescribing medical cannabis, daily cyber criminal activity and daily corruption in all areas of business and official departments. Wow, our world appears to be crumbling before our very eyes. And sadly, the motive, the driving force behind each illegal and unethical act, performed by these departments, is the one and only, all mighty DOLLAR. The more that one has the bigger the ego, and there is never enough. Just because one is a doctor, does not make them immune to greed. God bless. 🙏🦋
 
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AHPRA need to get get there priorities right
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room
the jabs that have killed millions and more dying everyday from the continuous aftermath from the vaccines and the trillions of dollars that was made from the kill shots , we have experts who are proving what the vaccine did to the human race and No governments anywhere will allow any sort of trials to be conducted , cannabis is far healthier way than any drugs that big pharma can ever offer my opinion only .
No trials undertaken!!! You must be Dreaming!!
 
cannabis is far healthier way than any drugs that big pharma can ever offer my opinion only .
Do you smoke the stuff? Do you suffer from cognitive impairment, chronic bronchitis or chronic psychosis disorders (including schizophrenia)? This may explain your delusions regarding pharmaceuticals and their purpose.

Next step? Heroin or amphetamines? Cannabis is widely known as a "gateway drug" to more "lethal" crap and you have the audacity to criticise modern medicine and pharmacology? Back to your trippy hippy days.

The choice is yours.
 
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My niece is managing to still get around, and work, whilst being prescribed medical cannabis. It is not smoked or injected. Her use is purely through cooked items like brownies or cookies.
Cancer resulted in a total hysterectomy, bowel colectomy, bladder cystectomy, and, has a tube permanently fed down her nose to cater to other things.
She is my wonder woman and a walking miracle.
The cannabis is purely to manage the pain. It breaks my heart to see what she goes through, but the cannabis is a godsend.
If there are people out there prescribing for the wrong reasons, then, shame on them.
If people are too ready to judge because they think they know more than the people suffering, then, walk 50 metres in their shoes.
I, personally, have never had the need for such assistance, however, would not hesitate to have a cannabis brownie above some of the pain killers that sent my husband into zombie state for so many years.
In the end, it comes to a matter of choice.
 
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